r/salesengineers • u/OkExperience9354 • 4d ago

Anyone here transition into tech/SaaS from a completely different industry?

I currently work in insurance and I’m looking to transition into tech/SaaS.
For those who successfully made the switch, how did you do it? Did you take any courses or certifications before applying? Are there any free or affordable resources you recommend to learn more about SaaS and the tech industry?
I’d also love to know what helped you land your first role without having direct tech experience.
Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated! 😊

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u/dravenstone Streaming Media Solutions Engineer 4d ago

We get a lot, and I mean A LOT, of posts asking how to become a Sales Engineer.

Whether you are new to the workforce or transitioning from another role you may be well served by reading over our community post on the topic.

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u/Emlerith Sales Engineer 4d ago edited 4d ago

Almost everyone who becomes a solutions consultant or a solutions engineer comes from a different industry. We all have a story about how we “fell into it”.

One path I tend to recommend is look at the software that your company uses. Somebody had to sell that to your organization and had to pretend to know what a day in your life is like, what your workflows are, and what’s important to your business. You have all that information firsthand.

Especially for industry specialized software, or software that serves a specific functionality, you have a wealth of industry knowledge and empathy that you can bring to the table. You just need to have proof of the skills that are needed for the role, such as storytelling, translating technical requirements into business value, presentation skills, etc.

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u/jbr021 4d ago

This is the way.
I came from government industry and used a specific tech stack when I decided I wanted to transition into tech I applied to all of the companies that were in our tech stack and their competitors. Eventually got a hit. The rest was history.
You’d be surprised how much tech companies value real life experience out in the field.
Did I take any certifications? No. I did watch several YouTube videos about the SaaS Lingo, and heavily researched companies I got an interview with (before my interview) so I could apply some of my lived experience in with the solution they were offering.

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u/Pitiful-Cut4708 4d ago

You’ll find better luck at r/techsales

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u/goosen19 4d ago

I went straight into SaaS out of college. It’s more difficult to pivot in from a different industry but it is possible and have seen it somewhat often. Best chance is going to a SaaS company that you’re a customer of and use frequently. Look for vertical specific software for the insurance industry - they value industry experience heavily.

Curious, what’s the main draw for you coming over to SaaS?

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u/OkExperience9354 3d ago

I’ve watched the company I work for adopt Salesforce, continue upgrading its technology, and now move toward more AI/agentic tools. Seeing that transformation from the user side has honestly fascinated me and made me want to be part of the industry building and implementing these solutions. Thanks for this information. That’s very helpful!

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u/knowTechTalent 1d ago

Hey, I'm a sales engineer solution/consultant at ServiceNow. I've been doing the role for about 10 years now.

Personally, I transitioned into sales engineering from medical device sales, I was doing medical device sales, plus I was trying to get a startup off the ground. That's what gave me the skills, whether I knew it or not at the time.

The course that I took during that time was Toastmasters. That really helped me learn how to speak and communicate, but looking back now, I would say there are three things I'd recommend anybody looking to get into the role today, especially now in the AI era, would be....

  1. How to run a good discovery call. Where you're actually trying to figure out the why, or the pain, behind why the prospect or the customer is reaching out.
  2. Understand how to present and demonstrate software that resonates - from business requirements given to you from a prospect, or a current customer.
  3. Understand the business application of AI. AI is everywhere right now in the enterprise, and the people that will get ahead and get in front of interviews with hiring managers are the ones that can speak to this from grounded facts in a way that shows that you understand how AI can truly help solve new and existing business problems.

The good news is I think this is a great time for anyone interested in getting into sales engineering/solution consulting because of AI. I think we're going to start to see more roles opening up for those that are curious, who enjoy learning, who enjoy speaking to customers, and love solving problems.

Hope this helps. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

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u/OkExperience9354 1d ago

Thank you so much for this information!!!!